New York, 7 February 2023 (dpa/MIA) - UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths said that nearly 8 million people have fled Ukraine since the beginning of the conflict almost a year ago.

Almost 8 million people fled from Ukraine to neighbouring countries, while another 5.3 million are internally displaced, Griffiths told the UN Security Council in New York on Monday.

The head of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that 17.6 million people, or almost 40% of Ukraine's population, need humanitarian assistance.

Griffiths said he intends to present this year's Humanitarian Response Plan for Ukraine, which requires some $3.9 billion, in Geneva later this month. "This violence shows no sign of abating," he said.

More than 7,000 civilians have been killed since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, according to official UN figures. "The actual toll is certainly higher," Griffiths said.

According to the UN refugee agency UNHCR, Russia's war with Ukraine has led to the largest refugee movement since the Second World War.